In film and video production, a slate is used to visually track information about each “take” of a film project. A take is a single attempt at filming a particular scene of the project. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical slate 100 that is used in the film and television industry. The slate 100 includes of a dry erase board 105 and a “clapper” 110. The dry erase board portion 105 of the slate 100 includes fields for a project title (in FIG. 1, the project title is “Hot Baby”), roll (camera roll), scene number, take number, director, cameraman, and date of filming. The slate 100 also includes options “MOS” (filmed without sound) and “DAY” or “NITE” referring to when the take is being filmed.
When filming numerous takes, as is typically done on a set, a slate must be written on with a dry erase marker, then erased and rewritten for each new take. At the start of a take, someone (usually the script supervisor) holds the slate in front of the camera filming the take so that the pertinent information is recorded. The script supervisor then closes the clapper 110 in order to “mark” the take. This clear clapping sound allows sound recorded separately to be synchronized with the video in post production.
In addition to filling out the slate, the script supervisor also fills out a paper log including all of the information on the slate, as well as other information such as director's comments and what type of shot is being filmed with the present take (e.g., a wide shot, a close-up, etc.). A second log sheet is filled out by the camera department (e.g., by the assistant cameraperson) with the scene and take number, the camera roll, and camera details such as the lens used for the take and any issues with the take (e.g., the camera was out of focus). The sound recordist must fill out a third log sheet with the scene and take number, the sound roll, the microphone used for the take, and any sound details (e.g., if a plane flew overhead during the take).
The above three log sheets are collected for each take and must be hand-entered into either a spreadsheet that is fed into a non-linear video editor (“NLE”) or hand-entered into the NLE itself. Often there will be discrepancies between the three log sheets due to an error by one or more of the script supervisor, assistant cameraperson, and sound recordist, which must be resolved. Furthermore, the data entered into the NLE must be manually matched with the video and sound content it describes. Between rewriting all the data on a separate log sheet for each take, hand-entering the data into the NLE and matching it with the correct content, and resolving errors, the data transfer is an extremely tedious process. Accordingly, there is a need for a slate that is digital and easily portable and that eliminates error and hand entry of data.
In addition to the standard data used for all takes, effects shots require additional data to be recorded. Specifically, effects shots require the measurement of the height of the camera off the ground and the angle of the camera relative to the ground. Measuring the camera angle is generally done with a plumb ball device requiring estimation of the angle by a human eye. This is both tedious and lacking in accuracy. Therefore, there is a need for a more automated and accurate measurement of the camera angle for effects shots.